It Will Rain
by PearlGirl26
Summary: When Lillian and Isabella Swan move to the small town of Forks and meet the mysterious Cullen's, they are suddenly at the attention of every mythical being living in the small town. Will their decision to move back home be the worst thing they ever did, or the best? And how will their relationship survive the struggles they are bound to face?
1. Chapter 1 - First Sight

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE TWILIGHT SAGA OR THE CONCEPT; ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE ORIGINAL OWNERS.**

 **AN: This is going to be a Lily Swan x Jacob Black story but there will be many other couples mentioned as well. I will try to stick to the story line as much as possible, but I will change some things to fit my own. Sorry about any grammar or spelling mistakes as I tend to type fast and miss things. All reviews are welcome, the more feedback I get the more inspired I am to write and the quicker I will update. Critique is appreciated as long as it's constructive and all questions asked will be answered at the bottom of each chapter.**

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Chapter 1 – First Sight

"Bye, Bella!"

"Good luck at your new school!"

"We'll miss you!"

The three fake tan athletic blondes say as they all climb into a red Mercedes Convertible waving.

"Bye!" My younger twin sister waves as they drive away.

I was just coming out of the house with Mum when she turned around to join us, holding a baby cactus close to her.

"It won't work again, baby," Mum told me as she gave me her phone.

"You put it on hold," I say immediately seeing what she had done.

"I did?"

"Look you also called Mexico," I laugh. Mum pushes me playfully in response causing me to stumble. She automatically caught and steadied me before replying.

"I'll figure it out. You gotta be able to reach me and Phil on the road – I love saying that – on the road."

"Very romantic," I say teasingly.

Phil came out of the house then carrying two suitcases; one for me and one for Bella.

"If you call crappy motels, backwater towns and ballpark hot-dogs romantic," he says coming over to us and putting his Phoenix Desert Dogs baseball cap on Mums head with a kiss.

As he loaded the car, Mum slipped her arms through mine and Bella's.

"Now if you change your mind, I'll race back from wherever the game is," Mum says.

"We won't change our minds Mum," Bella says trying to reassure her, but the dread and doubt was clear on her face.

Both Mum and Phil drove us to the airport with the windows rolled down, the beautiful scenery in view. It was seventy-five degrees in Phoenix, the sky a perfect, cloudless blue and I was wearing my favourite sleeveless, white eyelet lace shirt as a farewell gesture. Where I was going, I probably wouldn't be wearing shirts like this anytime soon. Because of this I had a parka as my carry-on item in preparation for the cold weather.

In the Olympic Peninsula of north-west Washington State, a small town named Forks exists under a near-constant cover of clouds. It rains on this town more than any other place in the United States of America. It was from this town that my mother left with my sister and me when we were only seven years old. It was in this town that we'd spent most of our holidays until we were thirteen. That was the year Isabella 'put her foot down'. Since then, my dad; Charlie, Bella and I vacationed all over the US during the summer holidays instead. I alone visited Forks during the winter. Ironically it was to Forks that we were now heading – an action Bella took with great horror. She detested Forks.

"Bella," Mum said to her – the last of a thousand times – before we got on the plane. Phil was waiting in the car for her, giving us time to say our own goodbyes. "You don't have to do this."

"I want to go," she lied. She'd always been a bad liar, but she'd been saying this lie so frequently lately that it sounded almost convincing now. Almost.

"Tell Charlie I said hi."

"I will."

"I'll see you soon," she insisted hugging Bella tightly. "You can come home whenever you want – I'll come right back as soon as you need me."

I could see the sacrifice in her eyes behind the promise.

"Don't worry," I urged. "It'll be great. I love you, Mum."

"I love you too," she said coming over to hug me. "Look after your sister for me."

"I will," I whispered back so Bella wouldn't hear. I knew Mum would be worried about Bella. She didn't exactly make her hatred for Forks a secret. I on the other hand loved Forks. Sure I would miss the sun, the heat and the city, but Forks was home.

Dad was also really pleased about the whole thing. He was happy that we were coming to live with him for the first time with any degree of permanence. He'd already gotten us registered for high school and was going to help Bella get a car. Mine was being sent over as soon as possible.

Mum hugged me tightly for a minute before we had get onto the plane, and then she was gone.

It's a four-hour flight from Phoenix to Seattle, another hour in a small plane up to Port Angeles, and then an hour drive back down to Forks. When we landed in Port Angeles, it was raining. Dad was waiting for us with the cruiser and in uniform. This was to be expected. Dad is Police Chief Swan to the people of Forks.

"Daddy!" I shouted as soon as I saw him, running to jump into his arms. However, the weight of my bag threw me off balance and I went crashing into a guy trying to walk past.

"I'm so sorry!" I spluttered out, feeling the familiar heat rushing to my face. Luckily we hadn't completely fallen over, but the force left us both awkwardly trying to regain our balance. The guy wasn't much older than me, but he was a lot shorter. He stepped up to my chest with his chin raised high. I could see tattoos on both sides of his neck. A small woman with hair dyed solid black stared menacingly at me from his other side.

"Sorry?" she repeated, like my apology had been offensive somehow.

"Uh, yeah?" I respond nervously looking over towards my Dad, who was walking over to see what was going on, for help.

He didn't have to say anything. He just looked at the guy, who backed up a half-step and suddenly seemed a lot younger, and then the girl, whose sticky red lips settled into a pout. Without another word, they ducked around me and headed into the tiny terminal.

Dad and I both shrugged at the same time smiling at each other. It was funny how we had some of the same mannerisms when we didn't spend much time together. Maybe it was genetic.

"Good to see you too, Lily," Dad said chuckling, hugging me tightly before I could get into any more trouble. "It's good to see you, Bella," Dad said smiling as he pulled her into an awkward hug. "You haven't changed much. How's Renée?"

"Mum's fine. It's good to see you, too, Dad." Bella said.

We had only a few bags. Most of our clothes were too permeable for Washington, so it all fit easily into the trunk of the cruiser.

"I found a good car for you Bella, really cheap," Dad announced when we were strapped in.

"What kind of car?" Bella asked, suspicious of the way he said 'good car for you' as opposed to just 'good car.'

"Well, it's a truck actually, a Chevy."

"Where did you find it?"

"Do you remember Billy Black down at La Push?" La Push is the tiny Indian reservation on the coast.

"No."

"He used to go fishing with us during the summer," Dad prompted. "He's in a wheelchair now," Dad continued when she didn't respond, "so he can't drive anymore, and he offered to sell me his truck cheap."

"What year is it?" I could see from his change of expression that this was the question he was hoping Bella wouldn't ask.

"Well, Billy's done a lot of work on the engine – it's only a few years old, really."

"When did he buy it?" Bella asked not giving up so easily.

"He bought it in 1984, I think."

"Did he buy it new?"

"Well, no. I think it was new in the early sixties – or late fifties at the earliest," he admitted sheepishly.

"Ch – OW – Dad," Isabella corrected herself when I pinched her on the arm. I never approved of how she called our dad Charlie. He's our father and should be addressed as such. It wasn't like he was a bad father either! He always tried to get time to see us, but it was Isabella that never wanted to see him. The least she could do was called him Dad to his face! "I don't really know anything about cars. I wouldn't be able to fix it if anything went wrong, and I couldn't afford a mechanic..."

"Really, Bella, the thing runs great. They don't build them like that anymore."

"How cheap is cheap?" Bella asked after a couple of minutes.

"Well, honey, I kind of already bought it for you; as a homecoming gift." Dad said peeking sideways at her with a hopeful expression.

"You didn't need to do that, Dad. I was going to buy myself a car."

"I don't mind. I want you to be happy here." He was looking ahead at the road when he said this. Dad wasn't comfortable with expressing his emotions out loud and Bella inherited that from him. So she was looking straight ahead as she responded.

"That's really nice, Dad. Thanks. I really appreciate it."

"Well, now, you're welcome," he mumbled, embarrassed by her thanks.

I smiled happily before joining the conversation. Whilst Dad and I caught up, Bella stared out the window in silence.

Eventually we made it home. Dad still lived in the small, three-bedroom house that he'd bought with our mum in the early days of their marriage. There, parked on the street in front of the house was Bella's new – well, new to her – truck. It was a faded red colour, with big, rounded fenders and a bulbous cab. It was one of those solid iron affairs that never gets damaged – the kind you see at the scene of an accident, paint unscratched, surrounded by the pieces of the foreign car it had destroyed. It really was perfect for my equally clumsy sister.

"Wow, Dad, I love it! Thanks!" Bella said, surprising him with her enthusiasm.

"I'm glad you like it," Dad said gruffly, embarrassed again.

It took only one trip to get all our stuff upstairs. I got the south bedroom that faced out over the back of the house. The room was familiar; it had belonged to me since I was born. The wooden floor, the - what looked freshly painted - light blue walls, the peaked ceiling, the yellow lace curtains around the window - these were all a part of my childhood. The only changes made were switching the crib for a single and now a double bed with green covers and adding a desk as I grew. The desk now held my homecoming gift of a new apple laptop and a phone, which was a stipulation from my mother, so that we could stay in touch easily. The rocking chair from my baby days had been switched for an old pine dresser and was now in Bella's room.

Her room was a lot like mine. She had the same light blue walls but with matching blue and white chequered curtains. And instead of a double bed she still had the single from when she last visited with new purple covers as well as the rocking chair.

There was only one small bathroom at the top of the stairs, which I would have to share with Bella and Dad. However, I'd had to share with my mum before, and that was definitely worse. She had a lot more stuff, and she doggedly resisted all my attempts to organize any of it.

After thanking Dad for our presents, he left us alone to unpack and get settled, a feat that would have been altogether impossible for Mum.

Whilst waiting for Bella to be finished in the bathroom, I looked out the window. It was beautiful, of course; even Bella, who hated everything to do with Forks, couldn't deny that. Everything was green: the trees, their trunks covered with moss, their branches hanging with a canopy of it, the ground covered with ferns. Even the air filtered down greenly through the leaves.

When Bella was finished, I took my bag of bathroom necessities and went to the bathroom to clean myself up after the day of travel, thinking of what tomorrow would bring.

Forks High School had a total of only three hundred and fifty-seven – now fifty-nine – students. There were more than seven hundred people in my year alone back home. All of the kids here had grown up together – their grandparents had been toddlers together. I would be the new girl from the big city, a curiosity, a freak that they would no doubt whisper about.

Maybe if I had been one of the cool kids, I could make this work for me. Come in all popular, homecoming queen style. But there was no hiding the fact that I was not that girl—not the cheerleading type, not the class president, nor the mysterious bad girl on the motorcycle. I was the kid who looked like she should be good at volleyball or basketball, until I started walking and somehow managed to humiliate and hurt not only myself but anyone who got too close. I was the kid who got shoved into lockers and picked on because of the severe acne I used to suffer from and the braces. The kid who was too quiet, and didn't know anything about make-up, fashion, the latest trends or anything else I was supposed to be into.

Unlike the other girls, I didn't have a ton of free time for hobbies. I was working two jobs whilst trying to take care of my baby sister and my eccentric, forgetful and slightly childlike mother. I'd been taking care of them my whole life. I'm sure there must have been a time, probably when I was still in diapers, when I wasn't in charge of the bills and paperwork and cooking and general level-headedness, but I couldn't remember it. It made me wonder whether leaving my mum to fend for herself really the right thing to do? It had seemed like it was, at the time, but it felt all kinds of wrong now. This wasn't a vacation like I used to go on where Bella would stay behind and take care of her. This was permanent.

Of course she had Phil now, so the bills would probably get paid on time, there would be food in the fridge, gas in the car, and someone to call when she got lost.… She didn't need me as much anymore...But still...

Because of all this I didn't relate well to people my age, especially the people in Phoenix, and it was because of this I was so excited to come home, back to Forks. I have friends here. People who understand me. People that I grew up with and stayed in close contact with. However, those people were in La Push and won't be going to the same school as me anymore. As much as I hoped tomorrow will be less like Phoenix and more like the Forks I remember, only time would be able to tell and tomorrow would be just the beginning.

On top of not having the personality advantage, neither, Bella nor I looked like a girl from Phoenix should. We didn't have the sporty, tan, blond look that comes with living under the valley of the sun. We didn't even look similar like sisters should. Whilst I was left with the 'unique' prettiness of thick mahogany curls falling halfway down my back, large-widely spaced sky blue eyes and ivory almost translucent skin, Isabella got the extremely attractive genes of pale chocolate doe eyes and straight waist length hair. Her skin was much fairer than mine. The wide forehead, narrow jaw, thin nose and pointed chin that came with her flawless heart-shape face made her cheeks more prominent and lips fuller. Whilst this made Isabella look softer, it made my lips look out of proportion on my round face. My widows peak did not seem to help matters at all. Whilst Isabella got Mum's slender figure standing around 5'4, I inherited Dad's broad shoulders, athletic build and unfortunately his height, towering over most at 6ft.

Facing my pallid, sallow, unhealthy looking reflection in the mirror, I was forced to admit that I'd never fit in. I mean, if I couldn't find a niche in a school with three thousand people, what were my chances here?

Maybe there was a glitch in my brain, and that was why I didn't relate well to people, period. Even my mother, who I was closer to than anyone else on the planet, was never in harmony with me, never on exactly the same page. Sometimes I wondered if I was seeing the same things through my eyes that the rest of the world was seeing through theirs.

I sigh leaving the bathroom.

I called Mum like I promised I would to tell her Bella and I were fine, before joining Bella. I knew tonight would be difficult for her, but what I didn't expect was how difficult it would be for me.

Neither of us slept well that night. Even after we were both done crying, having no more tears left to shed, my head would not shut up. For Bella it was the constant whooshing of the rain and wind across the roof that was making her nostalgic. I pulled the quilts we were sharing over our heads as we comforted and reassured each other under the covers, later adding a couple of pillows, too. But it wasn't until long after midnight that either of us fell asleep, when the rain finally settled into a quiet drizzle and my horrible thoughts faded into background.

Thick fog was all I could see out my window in the morning and I could feel the claustrophobia creeping up on me. I suddenly felt like I was in prison or a cage, either of which I had exiled myself into.

Dad was just leaving for work when I came downstairs for breakfast. He wished Bella and me good luck at school before going off to the police station that was his wife and family. I thanked him, knowing his hope was a waste of time. Good luck tended to avoid me.

After he left, I sat at the old square oak table in one of the three un-matching chairs and examined the small familiar kitchen, with its dark panelled walls, bright yellow cabinets, and white linoleum floor. Nothing had changed. Mum had painted the cabinet's years ago in an attempt to bring some sunshine into the house. Over the small fireplace in the adjoining handkerchief-sized family room was a row of pictures. First a wedding picture of Mum and Dad in Las Vegas, then one of the four of us in the hospital after Bella and I were born, taken by a helpful nurse, followed by the procession of our school pictures up to last year's. Those were embarrassing to look at! The bad haircuts... I felt my face heat up just at the thought of them and I cringed thinking back to when they were taken. Despite this, it was impossible; being in this house, not to realize that Dad had never gotten over our mum. It made me feel slightly uncomfortable.

I didn't want to be too early to school, but Bella, who was my ride, couldn't stay in the house any longer. I put on my jacket, which had the feeling of a bio-hazard suit due to it being so thick and made of what felt like non-breathing plastic, before heading out into the rain.

It was just drizzling now, not enough to soak me through immediately as I reached for the house key that was always hidden under the eave by the door, and lock up, but I was in a hurry to get out of the misty wet that swirled around my head and clung to my hair under my hood. The sloshing of my new waterproof boots sounded weird in comparison to the normal crunch of gravel as I walked.

Inside the truck, it was nice and dry. Someone had obviously cleaned it up, but the tan upholstered seats still smelled faintly of firewood and the sea. The engine started quickly to my relief, but loudly, roaring to life and then idling at top volume. A truck this old was bound to have a flaw, but the antique radio worked, a plus that I hadn't expected.

Finding the school wasn't difficult, though neither Bella nor I had ever been there before. The school was, like most other things, just off the highway. It was not obvious that it was a school; only the sign, which declared it to be the Forks High School, made Bella stop. It looked like a collection of matching houses, built with maroon-coloured bricks. There were so many trees and shrubs I couldn't see its size at first. What surprised me the most was the lack of chain-link fences and metal detectors. It didn't have the feel of an institution like the schools back in Phoenix did.

Bella parked in front of the first building, which had a small sign over the door reading front office. No one else was parked there, so I was sure it was off limits, but we decided it would be better to get directions inside instead of circling around in the rain like idiots. I stepped unwillingly out of the toasty truck and walked down a little stone path lined with dark hedges. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door.

Inside the office it was brightly lit and warm. The office was small; a little waiting area with padded folding chairs, orange-flecked commercial carpet, notices and awards cluttering the walls, and a big clock ticked loudly. Plants grew everywhere in large plastic pots. The room was cut in half by a long counter, cluttered with wire baskets full of papers and brightly coloured flyers taped to its front. There were two desks behind the counter, one of which was manned by a large, red-haired woman wearing glasses, the other a round, balding man wearing a purple t-shirt. I immediately felt overdressed for the weather.

The red-haired woman looked up at the sound of the door slamming behind Bella and I, like the clang of iron bars locking into place. "Can I help you?"

"I'm Lillian Swan and this is my sister Isabella," I informed her, and saw the immediate awareness light her eyes. We were expected, a topic of gossip no doubt – daughters of the Chief come home at last.

"Of course," she said. She dug through a precariously stacked pile of documents on her desk till she found the ones she was looking for. "I have your schedules right here, and maps of the school." She brought several sheets to the counter. She went through our classes with us, highlighting the best route to each on the map, and gave us each a slip to have all our teachers' sign, which we were to bring back at the end of the day. She smiled at us and hoped, like Dad, that we would like it here in Forks. I smiled back as convincingly as I could before going back out to the truck, where other students were starting to arrive.

Most of the cars were older like Bella's, nothing flashy. Back in Phoenix it was a common thing to see a new Mercedes or Porsche in the student lot. The nicest car here was a shiny Volvo, a different model to mine but it still stood out.

Still, Bella cut the engine as soon as we were in a spot, so that the thunderous volume wouldn't draw attention to us. Before leaving Bella and I looked at our maps, trying to memorize it now; so we wouldn't have to walk around with it stuck in front of our noses all day. We quickly compared lessons seeing if we had any together before agreeing to meet up at lunch. We only had two lessons together, English last and Geography first thing tomorrow morning. It wasn't much but it was more than what we had together back in Phoenix which was something. I put everything in my bag, slung the strap over my shoulder, and stepped out of the truck.

Bella came round to my side as it was closest to the side walk which was crowded with teenagers.

"It'll be okay," Bella whispered to me grabbing my hand in hers.

"I know," I whispered back smiling nervously and squeezing her hand. This was the part I was most nervous about. School. Only school could get me to be so melodramatic.

Our plain black jackets didn't stand out I noticed with relief, though there wasn't much I could do about my height. I hunched my shoulders and kept my head down as we headed to the cafeteria so we could figure out our meeting spot.

The cafeteria was right in the middle of the school so our lesson buildings were easy to spot. With one last reassuring squeeze of the hand, Bella and I went our separate ways to our first lesson at Forks High.

"You're Isabella Swan, right?" a good-looking baby faced boy with blonde hair and blue eyes says, joining me as soon as Bella left.

"Lily, Bella's my sister," I corrected him.

"I'm Tyler," a tall athletic guy with black curly hair and dark eyes says slinging his arm over the blonde guy's shoulder. "Tyler Crowley. And this is Mike Newton. Aren't you from Arizona?"

"Yeah," I say uncomfortably as he looked me over.

"Aren't people from down their supposed to be really tanned?" he asks.

"Guess that's why they kicked me out." Mike laughed as Tyler smirked. "Am I going in the right direction to the gym?"

Luckily, Mike and Tyler were in my gym class so were able to show me the way. The PE teacher, Coach Clapp, found me a uniform, which looked a little too small for me, and showed me to the girls changing rooms. Thankfully he didn't make me change and play today, instead letting me sit at the side and watch the four volleyball games running simultaneously. Remembering how many injuries I had sustained—and inflicted—playing volleyball, I felt a little nauseated.

PE went by really fast, and all too soon it was time for my next lesson. I was in a surprisingly good mood since I didn't have to humiliate myself in PE and have that as a first impression.

"You're Lillian Swan, the new girl?" A tall Asian boy with hair as black as an oil slick, brown eyes, and a poor complexion said coming up behind me. "Hi. I'm Eric Yorkie, the eyes and ears of this place. Anything you need. Tour guide, lunch date, shoulder to cry on."

"Oh, I'm good," I reply slightly overwhelmed but grateful all the same. "Would you mind pointing me in the direction of History, I think I'm lost."

"Mr. Molina?" He asks and I nod. "Of course, this way. You're lucky! He's a really good teacher, nice as well! You've missed a lot of the semester but you'll be fine in his class. If not I can hook you up – tutor, cliff notes, medical excuse…"

The classroom was small. I hung my coat up on one of the hooks like everyone else before taking the slip up to the teacher, a man with black curly hair, dark brown eyes hid behind black glasses and an olive tone to his skin. The nameplate on his desk identified him as Mr. Molina. He sent me to a desk near the back without making me introduce myself to the class, in between two of the most devastatingly beautiful people I have ever seen.

One was a petite girl. Thin to the extreme, with small, pixie-like features. Her large eyes were a medium gold colour, and were further enhanced by long delicate eyebrows. Her hair was cropped short and spiky, pointing in every direction, the colour a deep black, like ink.

The boy, much like the girl was extremely attractive with his high cheekbones, strong jawline, perfect eyebrows, and full lips. His hair was untidy and an unusual bronze shade. His eyes however were very dark. From where I stood they looked as black as onyx's and purple bruise-like shadows were beneath his eyes.

"Hi, I'm Alice," The girl said smiling as I sat down next to her. "You must be Lily, it's nice to finally meet you! The whole towns been waiting for you and your sister to arrive!"

I blush grimacing slightly. I knew it had been something like that. "It's nice to meet you too, Alice!"

"And that's Edward. He's my brother." Before I could even turn round to say hello, Alice brought my attention back to her.

"So, this is a lot different from Phoenix, huh?"

"Very!"

"It doesn't rain much there, does it?"

"Three or four times a year."

"Wow, what must that be like?" Alice asks looking in wonder.

"Sunny," I tell her smiling. "And hot!"

Suddenly Alice grins at me an excited glint in her topaz eyes. "I have a feeling we are going to be great friends!"

Before I could respond Mr Molina called the class to attention and started the lesson.

By lunch time, I started to recognize several of the faces in each class. There was always someone braver than the others who would introduce themselves and ask me questions about how I was liking Forks.

Mike pulled a chair out for me as I walked over to the table with Eric who had thoughtfully come to my class after his had finished to help me find my way to the cafeteria, and sat next to me.

"Mike, you met my home girl Lily?" Eric asked opposite us.

"Your girl?"

"My girl!" Tyler said popping out of nowhere and kissing me on the cheek. He pulled Mike's chair from under him and ran off with Mike chasing after him.

Eric introduced me to his other friend, a tall pretty girl with light brown hair and gentle brown eyes named Angela Weber before leaving with the boys. Bella soon joined us being dragged along by a tiny girl with wildly curly dark brown hair and blue eyes called Jessica Stanley.

"It's like first grade all over again, and you're the shiny new toy," Jessica says with a clearly fake laugh, watching the boys run away, obviously seeing what had just occurred.

It was there, sitting in the lunch room, that I first saw them. Well truly saw them now that they were all together, and separated from everyone else.

They were sitting in the corner of the cafeteria, as far away from where I sat as possible in the long room. There were five of them including Alice and Edward. They weren't talking, and they weren't eating, though they each had a tray of untouched food in front of them. They weren't gawking at Bella and me, unlike most of the other students, so it was safe to stare at them without fear of meeting an excessively interested pair of eyes. But it was none of these things that caught, and held, my attention. They didn't look anything alike. Of the three boys, one was big – tall and muscled like a serious weight lifter, with dark brown, almost black, curly hair. Another was taller, leaner, but still muscular, with honey blond hair that fell just above his collar. Edward in comparison was lanky, less bulky, and more boyish than the others, who looked like they could be in college, or even teachers here rather than students. Alice and the other girl were complete opposites. The tall girl was statuesque. She had a beautiful figure, the kind you saw on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, the kind that made every girl around her take a hit on her self-esteem just by being in the same room. Her hair was golden, gently waving to the middle of her back. And yet, they were all exactly alike. Every one of them was chalky pale, the palest of all the students living in this sunless town – paler than Bella and I. Like Edward, they, with the exception of Alice and the honey blonde boy, also had dark shadows under their eyes – purplish, bruise like shadows; as if they were all suffering from a sleepless night, or almost done recovering from a broken nose – though all of their noses, all their features, including Alice and the honey blonde boys, were straight, perfect, and angular.

But that wasn't why I couldn't look away.

I stared because their faces, so different, so similar, were all, inhumanly beautiful. They were faces you never expected to see except perhaps on the airbrushed pages of a fashion magazine, or painted by an old master as the face of an angel. It was hard to decide who was the most beautiful – maybe the perfect blond girl, or the muscular guy.

They were all looking away – away from each other, away from the other students, away from anything in particular as far as I could tell. As I watched, Alice rose with her tray – soda unopened, apple unbitten – and walked away with a quick, graceful lope that belonged on a runway. I watched, amazed at her lithe dancer's step that would break any ballerina's heart, till she dumped her tray and glided through the back door, faster than I would have thought possible. My eyes darted back to the others, who sat unchanging.

"Who are they?" Bella asked Jessica.

I listened in. She seemed like the gossip of the group.

As she looked up to see who Bella meant – though already knowing, probably, from her tone – Edward looked up at her. He looked at Jessica for just a fraction of a second, and then his dark eyes flickered to Bella's.

He looked away quickly. In that brief flash of a glance, his face held nothing of interest – it was as if she had called his name, and he'd looked up in involuntary response, already having decided not to answer.

My neighbour giggled in embarrassment, looking at the table.

"That's Edward and Emmett Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale. The one who left was Alice Cullen; they all live together with Dr. Cullen and his wife." She said this under her breath.

I glanced sideways at the bronze-haired boy, who was looking at his tray now, picking a bagel to pieces with long, pale fingers. His mouth was moving very quickly, his lips barely opening. The other three still looked away, and yet I felt he was speaking quietly to them.

Strange, unpopular names, I thought. The kinds of names grandparents had.

"They are... very nice-looking." Bella struggled with the conspicuous understatement.

"Yes!" Jessica agreed with another giggle. "They're all together though. Like together, together – Emmett and Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice, I mean...I'm not even sure that's legal!"

"Jess, they're not actually related," Angela defended them.

"But they live together, it's weird!" Her voice held all the shock and condemnation of the small town. But, if I was being honest, I had to admit that even in Phoenix, it would cause gossip.

Angela ignored her and turned to explain to Bella and me. "Dr. Cullen is really young, in his twenties or early thirties. They're all adopted. The Hales – the blondes – are brother and sister, twins and they're foster children."

"They look a little old for foster children." Bella said looking at Edward.

"They are now, Jasper and Rosalie are both eighteen, but they've been with Mrs Cullen since they were ten. She's their aunt or something like that."

"That's really kind of nice – for them to take care of all those kids like that, when they're so young and everything." I said admirably.

"I guess so," Jessica admitted reluctantly, and I got the impression that she didn't like the doctor and his wife for some reason. With the glances she was throwing at their adopted children, I would presume the reason was jealousy. "I think that Mrs. Cullen can't have any kids, though," she added, as if that lessened their kindness.

I shot her a glare before looking back at the table where the family sat. They continued to look at the walls and not eat.

"Have they always lived in Forks?" I asked. Surely I would have noticed them on one of my visits!

"No," she said in a voice that implied it should be obvious, even to a new arrival like me. "They just moved down a year ago from somewhere in Alaska."

I felt a surge of pity. As beautiful as they were, they were outsiders, clearly not accepted. Like me in Phoenix...

As I examined them the blonde boy, Jasper, looked up and met my gaze with evident curiosity in his expression. He quickly looked down again, his mouth moving very quickly, lips barely opening like the metallic-haired boy before.

Edward then looked up and met my gaze before answering him.

"Which one is the boy with the reddish brown hair?" Bella asked, peaking at him from the corner of her eye. He was staring at her now, but not gawking like the other students had today – he had a slightly frustrated expression. His glance held some kind of unmet expectation.

She looked down again.

"That's Edward. He's gorgeous, of course, but don't waste your time. He doesn't date. Apparently none of the girls here are good enough for him." She sniffed a clear case of sour grapes. "Like I care, you know," she said trying to laugh it off. I looked over at her eyebrows raised, wondered when he'd turned her down. I shook my head before going back to my lunch.

Booming laughter made me look back over to the Cullen table.

It was the big one, who had made me look back over; his head was thrown back as he laughed loudly getting odd looks from everyone. His dimples showed clearly when he laughed, giving him a childish look not often seen in a grown man. He suddenly looked a lot less intimidating.

I glanced at the others. The blondes were smirking and although Edward's face was turned away, his cheek appeared lifted, as if he too, were smiling.

After a few more minutes, the four of them left the table together. They all were noticeably graceful – even the big, brawny one. It was unsettling to watch. Edward didn't look at neither Bella nor me again.

I sat at the table with Jessica and Angela a little longer before heading to English with Bella.

My eyes immediately found Edward's the moment I stepped into class. He suddenly went rigid in his seat. His face jerked up toward Bella's and my own so fast it surprised me, staring with the strangest expression—it was more than angry, it was furious, hostile. I looked away, stunned, going red again.

He glared at us, coal black eyes full of fury and revulsion as we got our slip signed by our teacher; Mr Berty, a tall, balding man.

Taken aback, Bella and I quickly introduced ourselves to the class before being directed to our seats next to Edward Cullen.

I didn't look up as I set my book on the table and took my seat next to the window, but I saw Edwards posture change from the corner of my eye. He was leaning away from Bella and me, sitting on the extreme edge of his chair and averting his face like he smelled something bad. Inconspicuously, I sniffed my shirt. It smelled like laundry detergent. Did he really find that so offensive? I then sniffed my hair which smelled like strawberries, the scent of my favourite shampoo. It seemed an innocent enough odour. I let my hair fall over my shoulder, making a dark curtain between us and scooted my chair as far away as I could without bumping into the girl next to me, giving him as much space as possible with Bella following my lead.

I tried to pay attention to the teacher but every now and then my eyes wondered over to him.

During the whole class, he never relaxed his stiff position on the edge of his chair, sitting as far from us as possible. I could see his hand on his left leg was clenched into a fist, tendons standing out under his pale skin. This, too, he never relaxed. He had the long sleeves of his white shirt pushed up to his elbows, and his forearm was surprisingly hard and muscular beneath his light skin. He wasn't nearly as slight as he'd looked next to his burly brother. I couldn't help but notice how perfect his skin was. Not one freckle, not one scar.

The class seemed to drag on longer than the others. Was it because the day was finally coming to a close, or because I was waiting for his tight fist to loosen? It never did. He continued to sit so still it looked like he wasn't breathing through the rest of the lesson. What was wrong with him? Was this his normal behaviour? I questioned my judgement on Jess' bitterness at lunch today. Maybe she was not as resentful as I'd thought.

I peeked up at him one more time and immediately regretted it. He was glaring down at me again. I flinched away from him, shrinking against my chair, the phrase if looks could kill suddenly ran through my mind.

At that moment, the bell rang loudly making me jump.

Edward Cullen was out of his seat. Fluidly he rose and he was out the door before anyone else had even moved.

I sat in my chair, staring blankly after him. Why was he so mean? Is it something I'm going to have to get used to? I began gathering up my things slowly, trying to calm myself down. My heart was still pounding a little faster than usual as I walked with Bella out of the classroom.

Just when I thought I'd managed to make it through the day without any embarrassing accidents, I stumbled over a book in the walkway and had to catch myself on the edge of a table. The girl sitting there giggled as my face turned red. I took a deep breath trying to block the anger, confusion and guilt that filled me, for fear my eyes would tear up. For some reason, my temper was hard wired to my tear ducts. I usually cried when I was angry, a humiliating tendency.

Why should I feel guilty though? I hadn't done anything wrong, have I? How could I have? I hadn't even properly met Edward Cullen. Unless he was counting earlier. I didn't mean to ignore him, if that is what this is about. And if it was, why be so horrible to my sister?

Bella and I walked slowly to the office to return our paperwork. The rain had drifted away, but the wind was strong, and colder. I wrapped my arms around myself.

Edward Cullen was stood at the desk in front of us when we walked into the warm office.

He didn't appear to notice the sound of our entrance. We stood pressed against the back wall, waiting for the receptionist to be free. He was arguing with her in a low voice and I quickly picked up the gist of the argument. He was trying to trade his English class for another time — any other time.

I just couldn't believe that this was about me or Bella. It had to be something else, something that happened before we entered the classroom. The look on his face must have been about another aggravation entirely. It was impossible that this stranger could take such a sudden, intense dislike to us.

The door opened again, and the cold wind suddenly gusted through the room, rustling the papers on the desk, waving through my hair, swirling it around my face. The girl who came in merely stepped to the desk, placed a note in the wire basket, and walked out again. Edward Cullen's back however stiffened, and he turned slowly to glare at us with piercing, hate-filled eyes. For an instant, I felt the oddest thrill of genuine fear, raising the hair on my arms. The look only lasted a second, but it chilled me more than the freezing wind. He turned back to the receptionist.

"Never mind, then," he said hastily in a voice like velvet. "I can see that it's impossible. Thank you so much for your help." And he turned on his heel without another look at either of us.

I went meekly to the desk, my face white for once instead of red, and handed her the signed slip.

"How did your first day go, dear?" the receptionist asked maternally.

"Fine," I lied, my voice weak. She didn't look convinced.

When Bella and I got to the truck, it was almost the last car in the lot. It seemed like a haven, already the closest thing to home I had in this hell. I sat inside for a while, just staring out the wind shield blankly as Bella robotically, turned the key making the engine roar to life. Heat I didn't know I needed washed over me. We headed back home in silence, fighting tears the whole way there.

* * *

 **Hello everyone!**

 **Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I know it is a bit slow at the moment but it should start picking up soon. As you may, or may not have noticed yet; I have changed the school timetables a bit. This is because I'm English and don't understand the American school system as it is very different from our own. If someone could explain for future reference that would be really helpful, however I wont be changing it in this story as I have been using the English one since it's what I know.**

 **Again, hope you all enjoyed. Review and let me know what you think.**

 **\- Pearl Girl 26**


	2. Chapter 2 - Open Book

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE TWILIGHT SAGA OR THE CONCEPT; ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE ORIGINAL OWNERS.**

 **AN: This is going to be a Lily Swan x Jacob Black story but there will be many other couples mentioned as well. I will try to stick to the story line as much as possible, but I will change some things to fit my own. Sorry about any grammar or spelling mistakes as I tend to type fast and miss things. All reviews are welcome, the more feedback I get the more inspired I am to write and the quicker I will update. Critique is appreciated as long as it's constructive and all questions asked will be answered at the bottom of each chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 2 – Open Book

That night, after work, Dad took me and Bella out for dinner in celebration of us coming to Forks; since yesterday we were too tired from travelling. We went to one of the only restaurants in Forks; a place called The Lodge. Although it was slightly tacky with all the stuffed animals on the walls, it was a popular place filled with many people. Apparently Dad came here a lot as everyone seemed familiar with him; not to mention he had no food in the house and couldn't cook much besides fried eggs and bacon.

"I can't get over how grown up you both are. And so gorgeous," Cora our waitress said as she gave us our food.

"Member me, honey," a bearded guy said coming up behind Cora. "I was Santa one year."

"Waylon, Bella hasn't had a Christmas here since she was seven," Dad said rolling his eyes.

"Bet I made an impression though," Waylon replied unfazed.

"You always do."

"Let the girls eat their food, Waylon," Cora said shooing him away as I looked on in amusement and Bella discomfort. "When you're done I'll bring out your favourite – berry cobbler!"

"Thank you," I said as Bella looked on surprised she remembered.

I cringe as Dad and Bella both move to reach for the salt and knock hands. Dad reaches for the ketchup instead and an awkward silence almost as awkward as the hair length and purple covers conversation last night, takes over.

"So you eat here every night?" I ask loudly trying to cut the tension as another family laugh happily from a table near ours.

"Easier than washing dishes," Dad replies.

"I can cook," I say making Dad look at me, as if confused by the concept.

"I did the cooking back in Phoenix since Mums not great in the kitchen." It wasn't that Mum was a bad cook, if she stuck to a recipe she'd easily be able to make good dinners. She was just very imaginative, and her experiments weren't always edible.

"I remember..." Dad laughed as we all recalled some especially bad dinners made by Mum.

The next couple of days were better…and worse. It was better because Bella and I had settled into Forks well. It didn't rain as much as we expected it to, although there were a few clouds... and we had our new group of friends! We also both knew what to expect in each lesson, and despite only having one of each so far, had started to get used to the routine. I began to feel like I was treading water, instead of drowning in it.

It was worse however because Edward Cullen wasn't in school.

Every morning I dreaded going to my new lessons in case he was in one of them, and lunch where he would undoubtfully be sitting with his family, in fear of his bizarre glares. Part of me wanted to confront him and demand to know what his problem was. While I was lying sleepless in my bed, I even imagined what I would say. But I knew myself too well to think I would really have the guts to do it. I made the cowardly lion look like the terminator!

But when I walked into the cafeteria with Bella — both of us trying to keep our eyes from sweeping the place for him, and failing entirely — I saw that his four siblings of sorts were sitting together at the same table, and he was not with them.

Each day I waited nervously for the moment he would arrive. I hoped that he would ignore me and Bella when he came, and prove I was making a big deal out of nothing. I tried to listen to the easy chatter of my new friends, but felt terribly uncomfortable and as time passed I grew more and more tense.

He didn't come.

I walked to whatever lesson I'd have next with more confidence when, by the end of lunch, he still hadn't showed. I held my breath at the door, but Edward Cullen wasn't there either. I exhaled and went to whichever seat I was directed to, claiming it as my own.

I was relieved that Edward was absent. But I couldn't get rid of the nagging suspicion that either Bella or I, or even both of us was the reason he wasn't there. It was ridiculous, and egotistical, to think that I could affect anyone that strongly. It was impossible. And yet I couldn't stop worrying that it was true.

When the school day was finally done, and I had finally finished my first week at Forks High, I walked hurriedly out of I.C.T and to the parking lot, trying to evade Mike. I didn't want to be arrogant, but I was pretty sure he was into me, which was a strange feeling. Boys hadn't noticed me much in Phoenix, and if they did, it was not in a good way. Despite the attention not being the bad kind, it still made me uncomfortable. He was good looking and friendly enough, but I just didn't feel the same way about him. I know I was going to have to do something about it, but I honestly had no idea where to start. I had no practice dealing with overly friendly boys. All I knew was that it wasn't going to be easy or fun, and that in a town like this, where everyone lived on top of everyone else, diplomacy would be essential.

The parking lot was crowded with fleeing students. I waited outside Bella's truck and dug through my bag to make sure I had what I needed to go food shopping. Finding both the shopping list made by Dad and Bella of what they need/want, and the cash from the jar in the kitchen labelled 'FOOD MONEY', we were on our way to the local supermarket Thrift-Way.

When we got home, I unloaded all the groceries, refusing any help from Bella. Dad's cupboards were already of haphazard, I didn't need her making them any worse by randomly stuffing things into any bit of space she could find. So I reorganized the cupboards, unloading as I did so, till everything was in a place that made sense. Once I was satisfied with where everything was, I worked on the prep for dinner.

I started by wrapping some potatoes in foil and sticking them in the oven to bake. I covered some steaks in a home-made marinade and balanced it on top of a carton of eggs in the fridge.

When I was done, I took my bag upstairs and called Mum.

"If spring training goes well, we could be living in Florida permanently!" Mum finished excitedly.

"Please insert 25 cents to continue," a robotic voice said down the phone.

"Mum, where's your phone?" I asked giggling, suddenly realizing why Mum called me back instead of answering her phone.

"Okay, I didn't lose my power cord. It ran away, screaming. I literally repel technology now!" She said making me smile sadly. I missed my mum! "Now tell me about your school, baby. What are the kids like? Are there any cute boys? Are they being nice to you?" The last question was concerned.

"Everyone is really welcoming," I say truthfully. Well almost everyone was. I started telling her about all the friends I had made, my classes, and everything else that had happened, only hanging up when I heard the front door opening.

"Lily? Bella?" Dad called closing the door behind him.

"Hey Dad! Welcome home!" I shouted nearly toppling down the stairs in my rush to check on the dinner.

"Thanks" He hung up his gun belt and stepped out of his boots. As far as I was aware, he'd never shot the gun on the job. But he kept it ready. When Bella and I were kids, he would always remove the bullets as soon as he walked in the door. I guess he considered us old enough now not to shoot ourselves by accident, and not depressed enough to shoot ourselves on purpose.

"What's for dinner?" he asked warily.

"Steak and potatoes," I answered serving it up as Bella walked into the room. He looked relieved.

"Smells good, Lily," Dad said sniffing appreciatively as we sat down at the table.

"Thanks."

"So, how did you like school? Have you made any friends?" He asked digging in.

"Well, I have a few classes with a girl named Jessica. I sit with her and her friends at lunch. And there's this boy, Mike, who's very friendly. Everybody seems nice." Bella answers hesitantly.

"That must be Mike Newton. Nice kid – nice family. His dad owns the sporting goods store just outside of town. He makes a good living off all the backpackers who come through here."

"Do you know the Cullen family?" Bella suddenly asks.

"Dr. Cullen's family? Sure. Dr. Cullen's a great man."

"They... the kids... are a little different. They don't seem to fit in very well at school."

Dad surprised us by looking angry. "People in this town," he muttered. "Dr. Cullen is a brilliant surgeon who could probably work in any hospital in the world, make ten times the salary he gets here," he continued, getting louder. "We're lucky to have him – lucky that his wife wanted to live in a small town. He's an asset to the community, and all of those kids are well behaved and polite. I had my doubts, when they first moved in, with all those adopted teenagers. I thought we might have some problems with them. But they're all very mature – I haven't had one speck of trouble from any of them. That's more than I can say for the children of some folks who have lived in this town for generations. And they stick together the way a family should – camping trips every other weekend... Just because they're newcomers, people have to talk."

It was the longest speech I'd ever heard Dad make. He must feel strongly about whatever people were saying.

"They seemed nice enough to me. They're all very attractive," I added, trying to be more complimentary.

"You should see the doctor," Dad said, laughing. "It's a good thing he's happily married. A lot of the nurses at the hospital have a hard time concentrating on their work with him around."

We lapsed into silence as we finished eating.

Bella quickly cleared the table before going to her room to do homework. Normally she washed up as I dried and put away, however tonight Dad had started washing the dishes before she could.

"How has your first week been? I haven't had much of a chance to talk to you about it."

"It's been good," I answer honestly. "Much better than Phoenix if that's what you're asking."

Dad smiled at being caught out. "How about friends? Any boys I need to be worried about?"

"I mainly hang out with Bella and Angela Weber -"

"The minister's daughter," Dad nods approvingly.

"Yeah, and Eric Yorke. They're the ones I'm closest too, but like Bella said, Jessica Stanley and Mike Newton are usually part of the group as well."

"Well I'm glad you are liking it here Lily!"

"Me too," I say hugging my Dad.

My first weekend in Forks passed without incident. Dad, unused to spending time in the usually empty house, worked most of the weekend. I stayed at home cleaning and redecorating slightly so it wasn't so awkward. Those yellow cabinets for example are now a pretty teal colour, and instead of the photos of him and Mum, I had put up other pictures of Bella and me as kids (my favourite being a picture of when we were 10 at one of our ballet lessons. Bella was sitting stubbornly on the ground in her little pink tutu with a scowl on her face), and some pictures I'd found of him, Billy Black, Harry Clearwater and some other friends, which mainly consisted of them fishing. To say Dad was surprised when he came home would be an understatement! Although surprised he seemed to like the changes I'd made.

People greeted me in the parking lot Monday morning. I waved back and smiled at each of them. I was able to recognize, if not name, almost all the students at school at this point, having had at least one tiny conversation with most of them.

It was colder this morning, but not raining. When we walked out of gym, the air was full of swirling bits of white. I could hear people shouting excitedly to each other.

"Wow," Mike said. "It's snowing."

I looked at the little cotton fluffs that were building up along the side walk and swirling erratically past my face.

"I thought it was supposed to come down in flakes – you know, each one unique and all that. These just look like the ends of Q-tips." I asked holding out my hand and watching them fall onto it confused.

"Haven't you ever seen snow fall before?" Mike asked incredulously.

"Sure I have." I paused." On TV." Although I'd often come to Forks during the winter, it never seemed to snow when I was around. It always started as soon as I'd left and school started back up again. Much like now.

Mike laughed, and then a big, ball of snow smacked into the back of his head. We all turned to see where it came from. I had my suspicions about Tyler, who was walking away, his back toward us – in the wrong direction for his next class. Mike apparently had the same notion. He bent over and began scraping together a pile of snow.

"I'll see you in class, okay?" I said before heading to the gym. There was no way I was getting involved in whatever sudden rivalry was going on between the two of them.

He just nodded his eyes on Tyler's retreating figure.

Throughout the morning, everyone chattered excitedly about the snow; apparently it was the first snowfall of the year. Snow balls were flying everywhere as I walked to my next lesson.

I glanced toward the space next to mine out of habit, and froze where I stood. He was back.

I looked down, as I walked to my seat. My stomach churned. I had no reason to feel self-conscious, I reminded myself. I hadn't done anything wrong.

I kept my head down and glanced up under my lashes, permitting myself one glance as I debated whether to play up this sick feeling and escape to the nurse's office.

Ridiculous. I shouldn't have to run away.

Thankfully, Edward wasn't looking my way so I lifted my head a little more trying to appear like nothing was wrong.

"Hello," a quiet musical voice said as I sat in my seat.

I looked up from taking my things out of my bag surprised. Edward was sitting as far away from me as the desk allowed, but his chair was angled toward mine. His hair was dripping wet, disheveled – even so, he looked like he'd just finished shooting a commercial for hair gel. His face was friendly, open, a slight smile on his lips. But his eyes were careful.

"My name is Edward Cullen," he continued. "I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Lily Swan."

"H-how do you know my name?" I stammered stunned.

He laughed a soft, enchanting laugh.

"Oh, I think everyone knows your name. The whole town's been waiting for you both to arrive. Plus, you really made an impression on Alice. You're all she seems to be talking about at the moment." Edward smiled a crooked smile.

I felt my ears heat up as I smiled back, before it dropped slightly. "Oh, where is Alice?" I felt bad for not noticing her disappearance, especially knowing how much of an impact I had made on her.

"She said she felt a bit sick earlier so has gone to the nurse's office. I think she wants to wait it out and see if she gets better so she doesn't have to steal the car to go home," Edward jokes.

I smile. "Well tell her I hope she feels better soon!"

"She'll appreciate that!"

"And that stealing cars is bad so don't do it!"

"I will!" Edward laughs.

Mr. Molina decided to start the class at that moment. I tried to concentrate but my gaze kept going back to Edward.

There was something different about him, other than the very obvious personality change. Although I did wonder why the sudden change, I wasn't going to push for answers. I liked this side of Edward and didn't want him to revert back to the person he was last week. Plus, it could be something personal. He was gone so something may have happened. It wasn't my place to ask questions like that.

But that didn't stop me looking for the physical change. I was close enough that I'd be able to see a hint of a pimple, a stray eyebrow hair, a pore, something that was different. But there was nothing.

"So how are you liking the rain? Or in this case snow?" Edward asked, looking up from where he'd finished copying off the board. I was still a little behind trying to keep my handwriting clear and elegant.

"Well the snow is definitely better than the rain..." I answered.

"You not liking the cold?"

"Or the wet."

"Forks must be a difficult place for you to live," he mused.

"Not really," I answered finishing. "Phoenix was nice weather wise but I missed Forks. For me this is home."

Suddenly I identified that subtle difference in his face. It was so obvious I wanted to slap myself for my stupidity.

"Did you get contacts?" I blurted out unthinkingly instead.

He seemed puzzled by my unexpected question. "No."

"Oh," I mumbled confused. "I thought there was something different about your eyes."

"It's the fluorescents." He shrugged, and looked away; his hands clenched into hard fists again. He was leaning away from me again, his hands gripping the edge of the table with unmistakable tension.

I bit my lip nervously, hoping I didn't just ruin everything by asking such a stupid question.

Edward rushed as swiftly and as gracefully from the room as he had last Monday, when the bell finally rang.

I quickly gathered my things trying not to over think everything and work myself up again.

"Wow, did you stab Edward Cullen with a pencil or what? I've never seen him act like that." Mike asked as soon as I walked out of class. He was waiting by the door and had obviously seen Edward go past. "He looked as if he was in pain or something."

I cringed.

My mood worsened when I saw that mushy snowballs were still be thrown around outside, directly on path to the cafeteria. I kept one of my binders in my hands, ready to use it as a shield if necessary. Mike thought I was hilarious, but something in my expression kept him from lobbing a snowball at me himself. I'd really rather not have the dirty slosh thrown at me and melt on me, freezing me more than I already was.

We quickly caught up with Bella, and Jess. Jess was elated at the attention Mike was giving her as they talked animatedly about the snow fight as we got in line to buy food.

"Hello? Bella? What do you want?" Jess asked making me look at my sister.

"What's with Bella?" Mike asked Jess. I looked towards where she was looking and saw her looking over at the Cullen table.

They were laughing. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett all had their hair entirely saturated with melting snow. Alice and Rosalie were leaning away as Emmett shook his dripping hair toward them. They were enjoying the snowy day, just like everyone else – only they looked more like a scene from a movie than the rest of us.

But, aside from the laughter and playfulness, there was something different. Their skin was less pale – flushed from the snow fight maybe – the circles under their eyes much less noticeable and like Edward's, their eyes were a liquid gold colour.

Tearing my gaze off their faces I noticed they were all dressed exceptionally well; in clothes that subtly hinted at designer origins. With their remarkable good looks, the style with which they carried themselves, they could have worn dish rags and pulled it off.

"Nothing," I answered for my sister, instantly knowing the problem. "She's fine."

"I'll just get a soda today." Bella added.

"Aren't you hungry?" Jess asked.

"She can share mine," I said and Bella shot me a grateful smile.

Bella waited for us to get our food, and then followed us to our table, her eyes on her feet. I glanced at my sister every now and then to make sure she was alright. She was sipping at her soda slowly, glancing at the Cullen table through her lashes.

"Bella?" Jess asked, her eyes following her stare. At that precise moment, Edwards eyes flashed over to meet Bella's.

She dropped her head, letting her hair fall to conceal her face.

I held my breath nervously.

He didn't look harsh or unfriendly as I'd expected. He looked merely curious again, unsatisfied in some way.

"Edward Cullen is staring at you," Jess giggled to Bella.

"He doesn't look angry, does he?" she asked.

"No," she said, sounding confused by the question. "Should he be?"

"I don't think he likes me," Bella confided sadly, put her head down on her arm. I placed my hand on hers trying to give her a little comfort. I knew what it was like to be hated for no reason, and the fact my little sister may be starting to go through what I went through in Phoenix was a horrible thought.

"The Cullen's don't like anybody...well; they don't notice anybody enough to like them. But he's still staring at you."

"Stop looking at him," she hissed.

Jess snickered, but she looked away.

Mike interrupted us then laughing as ice melting the spikes in his hair – he was planning an epic battle of the blizzard in the parking lot after school and wanted us to join. Jess agreed enthusiastically. The way she looked at Mike left little doubt that she would be up for anything he suggested. I kept silent. Looks like I would have to either be really quick in getting to the truck before it started, or wait until the fight had died down enough for me to leave without worry of being hit. This conflicting decision seemed to be unnecessary however as when we went to the door to go to English, everyone groaned in unison. It was raining, washing all traces of the snow away in clear, icy ribbons down the side of the walkway.

I pulled up my hood, hiding my smile as I walked out. I was free to go home when I wanted!

Bella and I were one of the first ones to class. It took a couple of minutes before people started to come in. I saw Bella was pointedly concentrating on doodling and not looking towards the door or the seat beside her.

"It'll be fine," I assured her quietly over the buzzing of conversation. "He seems a lot happier today! I don't think it was anything personal." I didn't completely believe the words coming out of my mouth as the timing was just too perfect, however it seemed to calm my sister down.

I leaned away as Edward came in and smiled.

He smiled back to my relief and I settled to try and actually concentrate on lesson this time, deciding to listen in every so often just to make sure everything was okay.

"...why did you call me Bella?" I overheard my sister ask in confusion.

Edward seemed equal confused when he asked whether she preferred Isabella?

"No, I like Bella, but I think Charlie — I mean my dad — must call me Isabella behind my back — that's what everyone here seems to know me as."

"Oh." He let it drop.

I looked over at Bella who was awkwardly looking away before turning back to the book list our teacher had given us, showing what we'd be doing this year. It was fairly basic: Bronte, Shakespeare, Chaucer, Faulkner. I'd already read everything. That was comforting… and slightly disappointing. I loved each but I was hoping for something new and interesting to read.

"It's too bad about the snow, isn't it?" I heard Edward ask, trying again with the small talk.

"Not really," Bella answered to which I silently agreed.

"You don't like the cold either?" Edward asked, gesturing to me at Bella's confused look. I pointedly looked away, copying Bella's earlier idea and started doodling on my notebook.

"No. I don't like the cold. Or the wet. Or the grey. Or parkas. Or turtle necks," Bella listed off causing Edward to smile.

"Okay, Forks must be a difficult place for you to live," he mused emphasizing the 'must' and 'you'. I smiled, trying to suppress a laugh. He knew I was listening in.

"You have no idea," Bella muttered darkly.

"If you hate cold and rain so much, why move to the wettest place in the continental U.S.?" He asked, a look of fascination on his face.

"It's... complicated."

"I think I can keep up," he pressed honestly intrigued.

Bella paused for a long moment. "My mother got remarried," she said.

"That doesn't sound so complex," he disagreed, sympathetically. "When did that happen?"

"Last September." Bella said sounding sad, which confused me. I worriedly turned to face Bella, forgetting to be discreet.

"And you don't like him," Edward summarized, his tone kind.

"No, Phil is fine. Too young, maybe, but nice enough."

"Why didn't you stay with them?"

"Phil travels a lot. He plays ball for a living."

I smiled at that.

"Have I heard of him?" he asked, smiling as well.

"Probably not," I chipped in. "He doesn't play well. Strictly minor league. He moves around a lot."

"And your mother sent you both here so that she could travel with him." He said it as an assumption again, not a question.

"No." I say suddenly feeling very defensive of my mum. Why would he think that? Why is he just assuming that Mum and Phil were bad parents and that is why we left? Couldn't we leave of our own free will? Are we not allowed to stay with our dad unless something was wrong? And what is with this sudden need to know everything about us. Who did he think he was; treating us both horribly one week then demanding our life stories the next!

His eyebrows knitted together. "I don't understand," he admitted, seeming unnecessarily frustrated by that fact.

Bella sighed as Edward continued to stare at her with obvious curiosity.

"She stayed with us at first, but she missed him. It made her unhappy... so I decided it was time to spend some quality time with Charlie – OW - Dad." Her voice was glum but she turned to glare at me as I kicked her.

"But now you're unhappy," he pointed out.

"And?" She challenged.

"That doesn't seem fair." He shrugged, but his eyes were intense.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you? Life isn't fair." I say hoping he could take the hint.

"I believe I have heard that somewhere before," he says dryly.

"So that's all," Bella insisted.

His gaze became appraising. "You put on a good show," he said slowly. "But I'd be willing to bet that you're suffering more than you let anyone see."

Bella grimaced as I looked worriedly towards her.

"Am I wrong?" After a couple of moments of silence, he spoke again. "I didn't think so," he murmured smugly.

"Why does it matter to you?" I asked, irritated.

"That's a very good question," he muttered, so quietly that I wondered if he was talking to himself.

After a few seconds of silence Bella sighed as I scowled at the board.

"I'm sorry; I'm just trying to figure you both out. Am I annoying you?" he asked suddenly amused.

"Yes!" I answer immediately.

"Not exactly." Bella replied glancing over at him. "I'm more annoyed at myself. My face is so easy to read – my mother always calls me her open book."

"That's because you are." I say making Bella look at me in annoyance.

"On the contrary, I find you very difficult to read." Edward told her truthfully.

"Seriously?" I ask in disbelief.

"You must be a good reader then," Bella replies flirtily, ignoring me.

"Usually." He smiled widely, flashing a set of perfect, ultra-white teeth.

I looked on in disgust as they made goo-goo eyes at each other, glad when the bell finally rang.

Edward swiftly left the room before anyone was out of their seats, as usual.

The rain was just a mist as we walked to the parking lot, but I was happier when I was in the dry cab. Bella quickly got the heater running whilst I fluffed my damp hair out so the heater could dry it on the way home.

Suddenly, Bella threw the truck into reverse, almost hitting a rusty Toyota Corolla in her haste, stomping hard on the brake just in time.

"Bella, what the hell?" I ask annoyed and confused by her sudden change in mood.

She took a deep breath in response, and cautiously pulled out again – this time with less aggression.

* * *

 **Hello everyone!**

 **Hope you all enjoyed and thank you for reviewing! I'm glad that the school timetable hasn't caused much confusion but if you need anything cleared up, don't be afraid to ask. Like I mentioned in the disclaimer all questions will be answered down here and if not it is because it will be addressed at some point in the story.**

 **Again, hope you all enjoyed. Review and let me know what you think.**

 **\- Pearl Girl 26**


	3. Chapter 3 - Phenomenon

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE TWILIGHT SAGA OR THE CONCEPT; ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE ORIGINAL OWNERS.**

 **AN: This is going to be a Lily Swan x Jacob Black story but there will be many other couples mentioned as well. I will try to stick to the story line as much as possible, but I will change some things to fit my own. Sorry about any grammar or spelling mistakes as I tend to type fast and miss things. All reviews are welcome, the more feedback I get the more inspired I am to write and the quicker I will update. Critique is appreciated as long as it's constructive and all questions asked will be answered at the bottom of each chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 3 – Phenomenon

When I woke up the next morning, something was different. It was the light. It was still the grey-green light of a cloudy day in the forest, but it was clearer somehow. I realized there was no fog veiling my window.

I jumped up to look outside, and then groaned in horror.

A fine layer of snow covered the yard, dusted the top of Bella's truck, and whitened the road. All the rain from yesterday had frozen solid – coating the needles on the trees in fantastic, gorgeous patterns, and making the driveway an ice slick. I had enough trouble not falling down when the ground was dry; it might be safer for me to go back to bed now.

Instead I threw down a quick bowl of cereal and some orange jucie before facing the icy brick driveway leading to the truck. It took every ounce of my concentration to make it down alive, and I still managed to slip over and fall hard onto my ass on a patch of ice. Dad, who was heading out to work at the time, hurried over to help me up.

"You okay, Lils?" He asked. I almost lost my balance again when I finally got to the truck, but managed to cling to the side mirror and save myself. Clearly, today was going to be a nightmare full of humiliation.

"Ice doesn't help the uncoordinated," I reply wiping myself down.

"That's why I got us all new tires. The other ones where nearly bald," Dad said heading towards his cruiser. "I'll be late for dinner. I'm heading down to Masons County. A security guard at the Grisham Mill got killed by some kind of animal."

"An animal?" Bella asked confused.

"You're not in Phoenix anymore, honey. They've been hunting it for a week with no luck. Thought I'd lend a hand," Dad said.

"Be careful," I say worried.

"Always am," he replies.

"And thank you for the tires," Bella added as an afterthought.

He nodded and headed to work as we headed to school.

Bella's truck seemed to have no problem with the black ice that covered the roads. She drove very slowly though.

When I got out of the truck at school, something silver caught my eye. I walked carefully to the back of the truck, holding the side for support, to where Bella was also examining the tires. There were thin chains criss-crossed in diamond shapes around them.

Guess Dad forgot to mention he had snow chains put on them too.

Suddenly I heard a strange sound. It was an odd high-pitched screech, and it was fast becoming painfully loud.

I looked up startled and saw several things simultaneously. Nothing was moving in slow motion, the way it does in the movies. Instead, the adrenaline rush seemed to make my brain work much faster, and I was able to absorb in clear detail several things at once.

Edward Cullen was standing four cars down from Bella and I, staring at us in horror. His face stood out from a sea of faces, all frozen in the same mask of shock. But of more importance was the dark blue van that was skidding, tires locked and squealing against the brakes, spinning wildly across the ice of the parking lot. It was going to hit the back corner of the truck, and Bella and I were standing between them. Although I didn't have time to close my eyes, the immediate response to protect my baby sister, that kicked in as soon as I registered what was happening, had caused me to subconsciously move my arm out to push her away from the danger.

It was in that moment, after trying to save my sister and before I heard the shattering crunch of the van folding around the truck bed, that something hit me, hard, but not from the direction I was expecting. My head cracked against the icy blacktop, and I felt something solid and cold pinning me to the ground. I was lying on the pavement behind the tan car Bella had parked next to. But I didn't have a chance to notice anything else, because the van was still coming. It had curled gratingly around the end of the truck and, still spinning and sliding, was about to collide with me again.

A low oath made me aware that someone was with me, and the voice was impossible not to recognize. Two long, white hands shot out protectively in front of me, and the van shuddered to a stop a foot from my face, the large hands fitting providentially into a deep dent in the side of the van's body.

His hands moved so fast they blurred. One was suddenly gripping under the body of the van, and something was dragging me, swinging my legs around like a rag doll's, till they hit the tire of the tan car. A groaning metallic thud hurt my ears, and the van settled, glass popping,onto the asphalt — exactly where, a second ago, my legs had been.

It was absolutely silent for one long second.

Then the screaming started and black spots started to cloud my vision. In the abrupt chaos, I could faintly hear more than one person shouting my name. It was as if it was all happening very far away, somewhere else to somebody else, or even in a movie that had been put on in the background with the volume turned down low. The only thing to show it had all been real and happening to me was the low frantic voice of Edward Cullen in my ear asking if I was okay. It was clearer than the yelling of all the people around me.

I woke up to a bright, white light. I was in an unfamiliar room, a white room with pastel colored curtains.

"Lily?" I heard a familiar voice coming from next to me.

"Tyler?" I ask turning to look at him, but stopping when a sudden blinding pain shot through my skull. "What happened?"

"I'm so sorry, Lily! I tried to stop! I thought I was going to kill you! I was going too fast, and I hit the ice wrong..." He trailed off as Bella rushed in.

"Lily! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, what happened?" I ask again, Tyler's answers being too vague.

She told me everything about how Tyler's van skidded, and how I pushed her out of the way. She then told me about Edward Cullen and how he stopped the van from crushing me, and her earlier confrontation with him.

"He said he was next to us the whole time," Bella said uncertainly. "He wasn't, was he?"

"I'm sorry Bella," I reply not knowing what to say. I mean she just told me he lifted a speeding van off me. "I don't remember anything."

"Right," she trailed off disappointed.

"Hey, are you okay? You don't look hurt, are you?" I ask trying to take her mind off of Edward.

"No, I'm fine," she says looking at me again.

"And Tyler?" I ask glancing over at him. We spoke quietly so he couldn't hear.

"Nothing too serious, just a couple of cuts on his forehead and cheek," Bella said.

A doctor walked around the corner then with Dad, and my mouth fell open slightly. He was young, he was blond... and he was handsomer than any movie star I'd ever seen. He was pale, though, and tired-looking, with circles under his eyes. From Dad's description, this had to be Edward's father.

"Miss Swan," Dr Cullen said in a remarkably appealing voice. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay," I said still trying to process everything. "My head hurts a lot though!"

"That would be because you've cracked your skull," he said looking over my chart. "You must have hit your head pretty hard."

"I'm so sorry Lily! I tried to stop," Tyler repeated.

"It's okay Tyler -"

"It's sure as hell not okay," Dad cut me off.

"Dad, it's not his fault -"

"We nearly lost you!" Dad says sternly, cutting me off again.

"But you didn't," I manage to say without getting cut off.

Knowing he wasn't going to win this, Dad instead turns and glares at Tyler. "You can kiss your licence goodbye!"

"I'm so sorry -" Tyler started again, but was cut off by Dad abruptly pulling the curtain between the two beds so he was no longer in view.

Whilst I was distracted, Dr Cullen had done a quick check over.

"Nothing too serious, only a slight fracture. But you will have to stay in for a while to ensure everything is okay," Dr Cullen said signing my chart with a flourish. "It sounds like you both were extremely lucky."

"Lucky Edward happened to be standing next to us," Bella amends, speaking for the first time. I look at her in confusion. I thought she said he was by his car, on the other side of the car park.

"Edward? Your boy?" Dad asks Dr Cullen.

"Oh, well, yes," Dr Cullen says, suddenly occupied with the papers in front of him.

Bella watched him carefully for his reaction.

He paused before smiling politely at us. "As long as you're all safe. Excuse me."

Bella stayed sat with me as Dr Cullen and Dad left to sign some papers.

"I thought you said, Edward was by his car?" I whisper to Bella really confused.

"He was," she says simply, smiling.

"Then why did you say he was next to you?"

"Because whatever he's hiding, the Doctor is in on it too," Bella whispers back so that Tyler wouldn't hear.

"Ohh," I whisper back not really sure what else to say.

"Anyway, I better go," Bella says getting up and putting her coat on. "Mum wants you to call or e-mail her as soon as."

"Okay," I reply as she hugs me gently, trying not to move me too much.

* * *

 **Hello everyone!**

 **Hope you all enjoyed and thank you for reviewing! It may have come to your attention that I have changed my OC's name. Sorry if it has caused any confusion, it is still the same character so nothing other than her name has been changed. If I do make any other changes, whether or not they're important to the story, I'll let you know down here. This chapter for example I may edit at some point as I am not entirely happy with it. H** **ope you all enjoyed it though and review to let me know what you think.**

 **\- Pearl Girl 26**


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